These issues have Chris Klieman’s attention as K-State works to improve shaky defense
The perception of Kansas State’s defense has drastically changed over the past two weeks.
When the Wildcats won their first three games while allowed a total of 47 points, fans had high hopes for what Chris Klieman’s new 3-3-5 formation could do over the course of an entire season. But now that the Wildcats have lost back-to-back Big 12 games while allowing a total of 68 points, the comparisons to Bill Snyder’s best defenses have stopped.
K-State surrendered 481 yards during a 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State and then failed to make Oklahoma punt a single time during a 37-31 loss to the Sooners.
Coaches have much to fix as the Wildcats prepare for their next game against Iowa State on Oct. 16.
Here is a look at the biggest issues that need to be addressed.
Better pass coverage and more QB pressure
Of all the ugly numbers K-State’s defense allowed during its first two conference games, this might be the worst: Big 12 quarterbacks are completing 72.6% of their passes against the Wildcats.
It’s hard to win a game when the other team is completing passes so effortlessly.
Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 22 of 25 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders was 22 of 34 for 344 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys and Sooners combined to average 9.8 yards per pass against the Wildcats.
Some of that can be attributed to poor coverage. Some of that can be blamed on the lack of a pass rush.
Julius Brents came up with an interception against Rattler and Cincere Mason broke up a pass against Sanders. But no other K-State defensive backs recorded positive stats in coverage.
K-State sacked Rattler twice, but failed to register a single quarterback hurry otherwise. Even when the Wildcats had a defender in his face, such as linebacker Ryan Henington sprinting at Rattler untouched on a blitz, he sidestepped the pressure and threw for a touchdown.
Klieman wants the Wildcats to tackle better in space.
“The biggest thing is getting back to some basics,” Klieman said. “Tackling and getting off blocks are the two biggest things, and letting the guys play faster. Some of that is us as coaches probably trying to do too much. We’ve talked about that as a defensive staff, letting them play a little bit more like they did against Stanford ... maybe not trying to be as perfect as just let them go out and play and execute our base rules and principles. But, bottom line, we have to play faster.”
Find a replacement for Khalid Duke
This task is much easier said than done. But it’s clear the Wildcats are missing Duke more than some originally expected.
When the 6-foot-4 junior defensive end from Atlanta was ruled out for the season following a knee injury against Nevada, most assumed the Wildcats have enough depth at the position to carry on without him.
But Bronson Massie is now dealing with an injury and redshirt freshman Nate Matlack has failed to make a tackle in Big 12 play.
Duke had a pair of sacks and provided solid pass coverage during K-State’s first three games. His replacements haven’t played at the same level. Finding a combination of players capable of filling a similar role will be important moving forward.
Klieman has also mentioned defensive back Reggie Stubblefield as a key player who needs to get healthy. He didn’t play against Oklahoma State and was only used sparingly against Oklahoma. When he’s not limited, he can line up at nickelback and give the Wildcats a different look.
Stop relying on element of surprise
After two years of lining up in a 4-2-5 formation, K-State dominated with a 3-3-5 against Stanford.
But it was clear the Cardinal were caught off guard by it.
Southern Illinois and Nevada both did a better job against K-State’s new look. Then Oklahoma State and Oklahoma moved the ball at will against the Wildcats.
Why? It wasn’t new to them. Lots of teams in the Big 12 play with a 3-3-5 on defense, and the Cowboys and Sooners knew exactly how to attack it. Oklahoma State dialed up several screen passes that went for big gains. Oklahoma attempted a plethora of medium-ranged throws that added up to 131 yards.
K-State was solid against the run in both games, allowing an average of 3.6 yards per rush, but it was so bad against the pass that neither the Cowboys or Sooners needed to run all that much.
The drop off in production over the past two weeks has Klieman thinking about whether to revert back to a 4-2-5 against Iowa State. All options are on the table as the Wildcats try to win their first conference game since Oct. 24 of last year.
“That is, no question, in the back of our mind, because they see this every day in practice,” Klieman said. “There’s a lot of teams that are doing this that are having success. If you do what you do, it still comes down to execution. It still comes down to, ‘That’s my gap,’ or, ‘That’s my man,’ or, ‘I have to get off a block and have to make tackles in space.’ That’s something we have to continue to improve upon.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 1:42 PM with the headline "These issues have Chris Klieman’s attention as K-State works to improve shaky defense."